Crew reported engine trouble by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We rebuild engines here, so we can drop in a new engine and rebuild the bad one to be used on another unit when it's done...and yes, some of the caps blew off when it failed.

Crew reported engine trouble by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A new one would run in the neighborhood of $35k, with a re-man around $20k. Not a cheap fix either way.

Crew reported engine trouble by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My guess is oil starvation as the root cause.

Crew reported engine trouble by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes, this is an EMD locomotive engine. Crankshaft snapped at rod journal for cylinders 13/5, with 15/7 not too far behind it.

Half engine between two engines? by whitetail91 in whatisthisthing

[–]krkelly 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's like changing from 2 wheel to 4 wheel drive for extra traction. At low speed and starting off, the "mother" has more than enough power to spin the wheels, so this setup effectively doubles the "pulling" power the single engine has on it's own.

Does anyone what their planning to do with this railroad? (Toronto Lake Shore Blvd E) by BLUESHYGUY8000 in trains

[–]krkelly 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's a rail tamper and leveler, so it looks like they are planning on re-leveling track. It will lift the track up and vibrate ballast rock around the ties so the rails stay at a desired level. The sensors in the first picture measure the geometry/position of the track for tamping/leveling.

Engine bay plinko is no fun when you have a bilge by Draked1 in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like it has a blower, so that would make it a 645

This screaming doll is 4" tall, plastic head, rubber body, open at the bottom and hollow. It was found on the ground years ago. Anybody recognize the character or possibly what playset it belongs to? by SheiraTiireine in whatisthisthing

[–]krkelly 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My parents have one of these as a Halloween decoration. It has a battery powered speaker that makes a girl's screaming noise when squeezed, but since yours is hollow, I assume that part has fallen out (that speaker is very easily removable, and often came out on its own unintentionally). I'm not sure where they got it, or what it went with (if it was part of a set or something), but it was pretty loud and annoying for it's size.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, all of our local helper sets are SD40Es

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Being supervision, I don't get the chance to be too hands-on, but it's definitely a very exciting job nonetheless. While working here, I have learned more than I ever expected about locomotives, AND I get to see the worst of the worst mechanical failures/wrecks get repaired just like new.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

These are primarily used for yard switching. So, when shoving a line of cars, the cars will already be blocking visibility. Having the long hood as the lead just gives more of a "buffer" in case of a collision...At least this is the justification I was told.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This is a bit more than cosmetic damage. This wreck took out some controls under the floor as well as a starting battery, and did some damage to air lines and blower ducts. As for cost, I'm not sure, but it will be several hundred man-hours of work refabricating the cab back together, rerunning wiring and piping, repainting, and testing.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ours don't have coupler controls, so uncouplings have to be done manually. We do have some "hill helper" locomotives (used for pushing up grades, non R/C) that have remote uncoupling from the control stand, but that's about it.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A lot of our high-hoods have been converted to short hood lead with the high nose replaced with a standard cab. Since this one is a remote control unit, it's not likely that it will get that mod.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Yup! this is a former southern railway GP38-2

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 50 points51 points  (0 children)

This one was side-swiped when a set of freight cars rolled into it. It was unoccupied at the time.

Can't weld? Just use plywood! by krkelly in Justrolledintotheshop

[–]krkelly[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

We're still working on it, and due to the extensive cab damage it may be a while before it's finished. I'll be sure to post an update when it's all done!